Atlético Madrid picked up their biggest win of the season so far as they knocked off archrivals Real Madrid in a feisty Madrid Derby at the Metropolitano on matchday seven of the new La Liga season.
Referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias could have waved a red card at Atleti defender Cuti Romero in the first half after a crunching challenge on Los Blancos midfielder Jude Bellingham, but he opted to proceed carefully and brandish just a caution. He couldn’t afford that same caution to Real defender Dean
Huijsen, who brought Giuliano Simeone down in the box when one-on-one and received his marching orders.
Atleti down Real in Madrid Derby
The red card to the Spanish international changed the game, and once Alejandro Grimaldo slotted home the resulting penalty, there was only going to be one winner. Striker Jonathan David doubled the advantage six minutes later, marking his third goal in as many games since joining on loan from Italian outfit Juventus, setting Atleti well on their way to a massive three points.
Wantaway striker Julián Alvarez was introduced in the second half to a chorus of boos, but the Argentinian almost made it three, only for Ibrahima Konaté to clear his goal-bound effort off the line. Antonio Rüdiger would then pull a goal back for Real late on when he nodded home from a Bernardo Silva free kick, but it was too little too late, and Atleti clung on to a 2-1 victory.
The word from the Bernabéu has been one of dismay. Real boss Jose Mourinho launched a scathing attack on referee Ortiz Arias post-game, saying that Atleti should have had two players off before the red was brandished to Huijsen. He brought printouts of the referee’s poor decisions to his post-game press conference, but Atleti bossDiego Simeone won’t care one bit.
El Cholo’s side has now risen to second place in La Liga, two places above their cross-city rivals. However, they remain some five points adrift of runaway league leaders FC Barcelona, who currently boast a perfect seven wins from seven with a mighty 31 goals scored.
So, what do the bookies make of Atleti’s title hopes after their upset win against Los Blancos? Let’s take a look.
Atleti remain a distant third-favorite
Despite the thrilling win against Real, online betting sites still don’t consider Atleti a genuine threat in the title race this season.
The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook currently position Simeone’s side as a lengthy 33/1 shot to win La Liga for the first time since 2021. While those odds have tightened slightly, they remain well shy of the two Clásico rivals at the top of the board.
Ask any Atleti fan, however, and they will tell you that they are certainly in contention. This Rojiblancos squad has that famed steel that led the club to upset title wins in both 2014 and 2021, with the recent additions of Romero and former Sporting captain Morten Hjulmand welcome additions to a squad that showed it was in dire need of leaders last season.
Not only that, but the attacking unit has rallied in the absence of outcast talisman Alvarez. Canadian hitman David has proven to be a revelation, netting three goals in as many games, while Spain’s World Cup winner Álex Baena looks much improved from last season. Ademola Lookman remains electrifying, and new signing Lee Kang-in has provided some much-needed creativity following the departure of Antoine Griezmann in the summer.
There’s no question about it: Atleti are certainly the underdogs in this race. But they were exactly that in both 2014 and 2021, and they beat both of La Liga’s supposed giants to the crown on each occasion. This season, they will be aiming to do the same — and if they carry on in this kind of form, they are certainly in with a chance.
Barça the team to beat
But while Atleti may well consider themselves alive in this title race, even the most ardent of the Metropolitano faithful will know that their side is a distant outsider in comparison to table-topping Barça.
The Blaugrana have been in blistering form so far this season, winning all seven of their games in dominant fashion. Their recent come-from-behind3-1 victory away at Sevilla took their goal tally to 31 for the season, while it marked just the second time this season in which they hadn’t managed to score four or more goals.
Captain Raphinha is currently thriving in his central striking role, filling the void that seemingly awaited Atleti’s Alvarez before the club dug in its heels and refused to allow its star player to depart for a domestic rival. Still, the Brazilian has shone, netting 14 times in just eight games in all competitions, with his hat-trick against Sevilla his second straight after he also netted three in the 7-2 win against Racing Santander.
The Catalonians are deserved 1/4 favorites, while Real are now way out at 10/3. The onus is on Atleti to take the fight to both and remain in the title race until the very end. And on this display at the Metropolitano, that is certainly a task that Simeone’s side seems up to.
